Dark American Lager

NOTE: In the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines, Dark American Lager no longer exists as a separate style. It has been lumped together in Style 2C International Lager in Category 2 International Lager International lagers are the premium mass-market lagers produced in most countries in the world. Whether developed from American or European styles, they all tend to have a fairly uniform character and are heavily marketed. Loosely derived from original Pilsner-type lagers, with colored variations having additional malt flavors while retaining a broad appeal to most palates.

In many countries, the styles will be referred to by their local country names. The use of the term “international” doesn’t mean that any beers are actually labeled as such; it is more of a categorization of similar beers produced worldwide.

Dark American Lager is basically a dark pale lager that may have some residual sweetness from caramel malts and light roasted notes from the coloring malt. Many of the commercial examples are imports that don't have enough flavor to make it into the other styles in this category. It is the least flavorful of the three styles in the Dark Lager category although some of the craft-brewed examples may have more body and flavor than the mass market examples. Many of these beers are made with coloring agents that darken the beer but do not add any substantial flavor to the base American lager.

This beer's malt aroma and flavor are low but if you look hard enough, you can find it. The style's color ranges from a deep copper to a deep, dark brown. It has a clean, light body with minor contributions from caramel and roasted malts. Non-malt adjuncts such as rice or corn are often used, and hop rates are low. Hop bitterness is clean and normally fades fast. Hop flavor, and aroma are low. Carbonation is high. Fruity esters and diacetyl should not be perceived.

Dark American Lager Description

This description is from the 2008 BJCP Style Guidelines. See note at top for current classification of this beer.

Aroma: There is little or no malt aroma in a dark American
lager, although the beer may show some caramel or roasted notes. The
caramel notes would be from caramel malts added to impart a slight
sweetness and the roasted aromas, if present, come from the malts used
to color the beer. Hop aroma is low when present with a light spicy or
floral aspects. It may have some yeast derived characteristics such as
acetaldehyde, DMS, or fruitiness. Diacetyl is not appropriate.

Appearance: Dark American lagers are deep amber to dark brown
with ruby highlights. Crystal clear with an off-white to tan head that
may withdraw quickly.

Flavor: The flavor may include low or moderate sweetness
from caramel malt with some caramel flavors present also. Roasted
flavors such as coffee or cocoa may be present when roasted malts are
used to color the beer. Hop flavors may be low to none and the
bitterness will be low to medium, just enough to balance the light
sweetness. There may be some fruitiness present but will not have any
diacetyl. Strong roasted flavors are considered a fault.

Mouthfeel: These beers exhibit a light to medium body with a smooth crisp finish. Carbonation is usually high, up to 3 volumes.

Overall Impression: The American Dark lager is a slightly sweeter version of a standard/premium lager with a little more flavor and body.

Comments: There are a lot of import styles that fit into this
category. If they are somewhat dark without much flavor, they will fit
here nicely. These beers will not be highly hopped and will not have
any strong roasty notes. To keep malt character low, use a domestic
two-row malt and an adjunct such as rice which will not impart much
flavor. Although this is an American lager, the bittering hop should be
a clean noble hop or noble hop derivative. Be careful which hop you
choose, as some will seem inappropriate. When choosing the malt for
coloring this beer, stick to the debittered black malt to keep the
roasted flavors down.

Ingredients: American two or six-row barley with corn or
preferably rice as an adjunct. A very small percentage of caramel and
dark malts may be used with caution. Commercial mass market versions
may use syrups or other coloring agents.